


Underneath The Stars and Mistletoe

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Angst, Episode Tag, Episode: s05e09 Abu el Banat, Holidays, M/M, Missing Scene, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-06-30
Updated: 2007-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-31 09:39:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15116720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: He respectfully declined to stop pursuing her eight months ago but a lot happened since then.





	Underneath The Stars and Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

“Aren't you cold?”

“No. You scared the hell out of me though.”

Charlie turned and looked at Zoey. Seven months ago they had stood in this exact spot and she told him she was going away with Jean Paul for the summer. She never went but the world turned upside down anyway. Those days without her…Charlie shuddered as all the worse case scenarios again went through his head. No one knew what he went through when she was gone. His fear and anguish was not on top of the list of concerns. 

It had been Ellie who sat in the kitchen with him and just started talking. It had been Ellie who held him while the sobs racked his body and he came out stronger on the other side. It had been Ellie who pinky swore that she would never tell anyone that he lost it. He wondered if Zoey remembered all the things he said to her in the hospital. He promised to always love her and never leave her side. He would protect her; make sure that no one ever harmed her again. 

In the early days after the accident and for a while after she returned to Manchester to recuperate, they talked. She never really opened up about her days in captivity and Charlie feared asking. The idea that someone may have brutalized her haunted him. The calls eventually dwindled and then stopped. 

Charlie was so busy with work he hardly had time to pick up the phone. He regretted that now but hadn't he done all he could? He told Zoey that he loved her and she walked away. She walked away more than once…he couldn’t do it to himself anymore. It seemed as if she relished what she was putting him through.

“You're shivering.” He took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. “You should not be out here without your coat on.”

“You sound like my father.”

“Well I am just being rational. You're going to catch cold.”

“The common cold is a virus. It is not contracted from standing out in the cold.”

“Don’t talk your sass to me.”

Zoey looked at him and for the first night since they drank that bottle of champagne in the Arboretum, she looked into his eyes. A split second and she knew why she didn’t do that anymore. He had the most beautiful brown eyes that she could read like her favorite novel. She remembered nights in her dorm room, snowball fights, soft kisses, warm touches, and the way he whispered her name first thing in the morning. The force of the memories was so strong it almost knocked her over.

“What are you doing out here?” she asked when the memories finally left her alone.

“Taking a breather.”

“Aren't there warmer places to do that?”

“Undoubtedly. You may have noticed it is a bit of a madhouse in there.”

“The White House? Surely you jest?”

They were quiet again and Charlie thought it was time to go back inside. He had work to do; he didn’t think he had the strength to be her knight in shining armor one more time. The young man was tired...felt so much older today than his 25 years.

“Do you want to get the hell out of here?” she asked.

“I have work to do.”

“Its Christmastime. Push it aside.”

“Its my job; its not that simple.”

“You're a workaholic.”

“I never said I wasn’t.”

“Do you want to get the hell out of here?” she repeated.

“Yeah.”

“We can have a late dinner.”

“I'm too tired.”

“We could have a drink at your place.”

“I may not be off for a while.”

“Call me.”

“I've meant to…a million times Zoey.”

“I forgive you.”

“Some days I don’t know if I forgive you.”

Zoey nodded, sighing and sliding out of his jacket. She handed it to him with a small box.

“Merry Christmas Charlie.”

“Merry Christmas.”

She kissed him on his cheek before disappearing back into the White House. Charlie stood out under the cold stars a while longer. He looked down at the gift in his hand and wondered what it was. It had been some time since he and Zoey exchanged gifts. Last year at this time she brought the new French boyfriend home to meet her family. That bastard never faced charges for what he did to her. Charlie still believed he was part of the conspiracy to have her kidnapped.

Instead, they revoked his student visa and he returned to a life of luxury in France. He would be rotting in jail if Charlie had anything to say about it. No, he would have killed the son of a bitch with his bare hands. Squeezed the life out of him while he begged and pleaded for mercy. That’s what would have happened if Josh and Wesley hadn't stopped him.

“Something heavy is weighing on your mind.”

Suddenly Jed Bartlet was standing beside him and Charlie knew he was right. He was usually hyper vigilant and that was the second time in twenty minutes that someone had scared him silly.

“No sir. Well, maybe.”

“What?”

He lit a cigarette and the body man looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.

“Its one cigarette.”

“If Mrs. Bartlet catches you or Fiderer for that matter, you are toast.”

“I am not afraid of my wife or my senior assistant.” He replied.

“How long have we known each other?” Charlie asked.

Jed looked at him and could not help his smile. It had only been four years but he felt he watched Charlie grow up…well he really had. He was the father of three daughters and looked at Charlie as his son. He seriously looked at him like that. Charlie meant more to Jed than words could express. Both he and Abbey made a silent promise that he and his little sister, the same age as their energetic Annie, would always be taken care of. Charlie was a semester away from graduation at Georgetown while Deanna was in her sophomore at Gonzanga. Charlie’s mother had left life insurance and a small pension and it had been Leo who helped set the money up in a trust for Deanna’s education. They all looked after the baby of their family.

“I saw you out here chatting with Zoey earlier.” Jed said.

“Not much. She has a blatant disregard for things like wind chill factors.”

“A chivalrous man will always give up his jacket.”

“Should one depend on that?” Charlie asked.

“I would not, but I am a man. Look, I am going to call it a night. Come in here and get your gifts.”

“Sir, you and Mrs. Bartlet…”

“Oh please. You know how my wife gets at the holidays. C’mon Charlie.”

He stubbed out his cigarette and patted the younger man’s back. They went back into the Oval Office, the best way for the President to avoid Esmeralda’s evil stares when she smelled the cigarette smoke. At his desk he pulled out a multitude of bags. Charlie rolled his eyes.

“Sir, you really didn’t have to do all of this.”

“It wasn’t just me. OK, this one is from Liz, Doug and the kids. Ellie’s gift is in there too. This one if from Mrs. Bartlet and myself and there is another one from Mrs. Bartlet. This bag is for Deanna, from Mrs. Bartlet and I. Annie dropped something in there…said she saw it and had to buy it.”

“Sir, this is…”

“There is nothing from Zoey.” He said, paying no attention to Charlie.

“She gave me something.”

“Alright. Well we are heading to Manchester tomorrow morning; wheels up at 11am. I want you to take a few days off after the holiday. Leo doesn’t want to see you guys. After the New Year is State of the Union time. You know it will be crazy. Time for yourself will be good. Promise me Charlie.”

“I promise sir. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.”

“Thank you Mr. President.”

In the outer office, as he tried to make sense of the ridiculous amount of Christmas gifts that had been given to him, he exchanged gifts with Debbie.

“How are you getting home?”

“A cab. Don’t worry about me, I will be fine.”

“You racked up pretty good kiddo.”

“He has a tendency to go…overboard.”

“He loves you like a son.”

“I know.”

Debbie kissed his cheek and Charlie was off. He declined Leo’s offer to have his driver take him home. He also promised he would not come in for a few days after Christmas. Charlie stopped at the deli for a six-pack of beer and then went home. The night was cold but crystal clear. Stars sparkled in the purple-black sky and Charlie thought snow might be on the way. Deanna could only dream of snow tonight; he sent her to Georgia for a week to spend the holiday with their Aunt and grandparents. It was important to Charlie that she never forget the feeling of family.

In the back of the cab he contemplated calling Zoey. Maybe he would wait until he settled in for the night. Maybe he would not call at all. What was the point really? She was heading back to Manchester tomorrow and from there she was moving on with her life. He needed to do the same. He respectfully declined to stop pursuing her eight months ago but a lot happened since then.

Charlie dated other women, found them interesting and some beautiful. None of them made him feel like Zoey did. He wasn’t sure though…was it real or nostalgia? Of course, a man was never supposed to forget his first love. It didn’t help when she remained in the satellite of his life. Maybe he was pursuing the hope of recapturing something they shared in a carefree youth, before bullets and brutality tore them apart. Before real life had the brazen audacity to intrude upon their love story. That’s it; he was not calling her. He needed to move on with his life; going down the same road was unhealthy.

“Do you need some help with those bags?”

“What are you doing here? How did you even know where I lived?”

Zoey took some of the bags from him as Charlie dug into his pockets for his keys.

“Oh please, as if that information was hard to get. Josh told me.”

“Judas.” He muttered.

“I'm sorry?”

“Nothing.” His door came open. “Come on in.”

Charlie had been living at the new downtown condo since April. The rent was high but he could afford it. There were two bedrooms and plenty of space for he and Deanna. Two baths, a large kitchen, and floor to ceiling windows with a lovely view of the Washington Monument. It was decorated tastefully, with second hand furniture that didn’t at all look that way. Zoey looked up as she stood in the kitchen doorway. Charlie handed her a beer.

“Look what I'm standing under.” She said.

Charlie did, doing his best not to mutter an expletive.

“That is all Deanna. She is really into mistletoe.”

“Well?”

“Zoey…”

“What? Who are we to smite a tradition?”

Charlie leaned and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. That did not satisfy her at all but he was not in the mood to be baited.

“What is all of this?” she walked into the living room and he followed.

“The Christmas bug bit your family hard this year. These are gifts for Deanna and I.”

“Where is she?”

“In Georgia with some family.”

“Oh my God, you're all alone at Christmas Charlie?”

“I’ll be just fine. I really need a lot of rest.”

“Come home with me, to the farm.”

“No.” his voice was firm and Zoey knew she would not be able to convince him otherwise. He was definitely just like her father in that sense. “I’ll probably sleep for the first 48 hours or so.”

“Did you open my gift?”

“No.” Charlie felt around the gift bags and pulled out the box. “I got you something too. I was not sure that I would at first but I did. It should be waiting for you at home…I sent it to the farm.”

“I wanted to call and let you know that I was coming here but things were busy. Paperwork, phone calls, you know the routine.”

“Paperwork?” Charlie asked.

“I will tell you later. Open my gift Charlie.”

He smiled, pulling the bow from the black box. He opened it and looked at the photograph. It was Jed and Charlie, sitting on horses at the Bartlet family farm. He thought the horse hated him; he was thrown off twice that day. That night he soaked in an Epsom salt bath. His mind flashed back to Zoey coming into the bathroom and making it the best bath he had ever taken.

“This is wonderful. Thank you.”

He leaned and kissed her cheek again. Zoey smiled.

“Are you hungry or anything? I could order food.”

“I'm fine. I ate dinner before I left the residence. What were you going to do when you got off work?”

“Nothing special.” He replied.

“Since when does it have to be special for you to share it with me?”

“I was going to walk around in my boxers, have a beer or two and watch ESPN. That would not make a good host.”

“Oh please, I've seen you in your boxers plenty.”

“You're being flirty.”

“So what?”

“Zoey, you can't just…”

Charlie got up from the couch and put some distance between them. Zoey looked at him with those big blue orbs; the same orbs he used to drown in.

“Charlie…”

“You can't just come back after what did to me?”

“What?”

“You broke my heart and let that…asshole sweep you off your feet. You let him…oh God. Dammit Zoey!”

“Don’t you walk away from me!” Zoey exclaimed. “Stay and say what you need to say. What's on your mind?”

She stood and looked Charlie in the eye.

“You want to fight? You want to fight the night before Christmas Eve?”

“I just want you to tell me the truth.”

“The truth is I love you. I love you and you play too many damn games. You pull me close, and then push me away. This is not a game Zoey, this is my life!”

“Its mine too!”

“Look…”

“No, you look.” She walked right in his face. “I have been through hell the last half of this year.”

“You don’t have to tell me that, I was there. I was in the church praying. I stood vigil at your bedside.”

“And I asked you not to let me go! I begged you!”

“What the hell? You're a grownup, what the hell Zoey. So this is my fault now?”

“No, no.” she put her arms around him. “It’s nobody’s fault Charlie, especially not yours.”

“I blame myself.” He held her tight to him. “I had the chance to stop you but my pride wouldn’t let me. I went there that night, with Josh, because I wanted you to stay. I couldn’t save you and I have to live with that.”

“I'm still here. I'm here and you can ask now.”

Charlie didn’t know if he wanted to ask her. Zoey never seemed to make decisions on her own. This was one that she definitely needed to. Whatever future they had would depend on her. Charlie knew what he wanted. He also knew that he didn’t want to push anything on Zoey.

“You need to go. Wheels up at 11 in the morning.”

“I don’t want to.” Her voice was muffled because her face was in his shirt. “I want to stay with you tonight.”

Bad idea, bad idea, red flags and siren noises went off in his rational mind. Pull away and go to the door. Pull away and…my God her hair is so soft. She still smells so good.

“We really shouldn’t.” his voice sounded small and far away.

“Don’t push me away again.”

“I never did that Zoey. I never did that.”

She pulled him into a passionate kiss and that was the last of his fight. They had not kissed since the night of her college graduation. He remembered their first kiss, also initiated by her. Charlie tried to be a gentleman the whole night but Zoey just blew that off and kissed him. He remembered the fireworks he saw behind his eyelids. He remembered that of all the girls he kissed in his life, nothing had felt so magical. Nothing ever made his feet cease to touch the ground until their lips met.

“Don’t make me go.” She whispered against his lips. “Please.”

Charlie quieted her pleas with another kiss. Their bodies moved together and they both moaned. He pulled her even closer, felt the tremble of her skin.

“I don’t want either one of us to get hurt again.” He said. 

At least he thought he said it…it was hard to talk with her tongue in his mouth. Charlie could not remember the last time they were so intimate. It had to be during the whole MS inquisition, right before Leo testified. His mind raced to figure out why they broke up if they felt so damn good together.

“You have to tell me where the bedroom is.”

Zoey’s breath caught in her throat as Charlie’s tongue moved along her neck and his hands cupped her ass. She felt as if she would implode. He picked her up in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist, taking her into the bedroom. There was no time to admire the décor…there was barely time to breathe. Clothes were removed quickly; in a matter of minutes Charlie only wore boxer shorts and Zoey a little pair of panties with mistletoe on them. 

She moaned as Charlie moved down to kiss them all over. Oh my God, that was perfect. She stroked his back while he stroked someplace much more intimate. Her back curved.

“Oh God Charlie! Now, I don’t want to wait anymore!”

The lovemaking was passionate but a bit frantic. The sweetness and romance they were both capable of wasn’t there but the feelings raged underneath. Zoey scratched, bit, and cried out. Charlie grunted, groaned, and held her too tight.

“Oh God, oh God, Zoey!”

The power of his release shook her and triggered her orgasm. She clung to him, trying to catch her breath. Charlie tried to move, pull out and lie on the mattress, but he didn’t have the strength. It didn’t matter because Zoey was not ready to let him go. She sucked on his earlobe; Charlie whispered her name. He didn’t know how long they laid they way and he didn’t care. He finally fell over on the bed. Zoey curled in his arms and exhaled.

“I'm not the hit and run type.” He said quietly.

He wasn’t, and probably never could be. Zoey had been Charlie’s first…he was 21 years old. There had been a few women since the breakup, two were even one-night stands, but Charlie was still comfortable with the number. Honestly he was torn. The idea of resuming something serious with Zoey was quite appealing. Still, there were two years left in the Administration.

His job kept him very busy and Zoey wanted attention. That didn’t upset him because a girlfriend deserved it. He just wasn’t sure he could give her what she wanted and needed at this point. It seemed irresponsible and detrimental to a possible future, to start again when they were in the same place they were before. Of course getting together occasionally to settle carnal urges was just as bad.

She meant too much to him for Charlie ever to feel comfortable with that kind of understanding. She meant so much to him that getting mixed up in something like that was altogether possible.

“Your job hasn’t changed.” She said. “Maybe we should just take it slow until you leave the White House. It would be easier on the both of us.”

“Zoey, I want to have this conversation but…now is not the right time.”

“Why?” she moved away and looked at him.

“Because I've had an exhausting week and wheels up for Manchester at 11am. Go to sleep, we’ll talk about it soon. I promise you.”

“You have never broken a promise.”

She was falling and it felt so good to be doing it in his arms. There would be no insomnia or nightmares tonight. They didn’t come as often as they used to but they still came.

“Now would be a really bad time to start.” He replied, kissing her once more before they both fell asleep.

***


End file.
